Geo Librarian

  WISH I WAS A BALLER written by Amar Shah, illustrated by Rashad Doucet Graphix, 2025 ISBN: 9781339042442  Source: purchased eBook Ages 9-12 Genre : Historical fiction (based on author's memories) All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK BALLER is part NEW KID, part THE TRYOUT, and part DRAGON HOOPS Amar Shah has some story to tell! In 1995, he was a fourteen-year-old aspiring sports journalist (and basketball superfan) angling to get into an Orlando Magic team practice. He did, and it took him on the ride of his life! WISH I WAS A BALLER is a graphic memoir chronicling Amar's real-life experiences as a fourteen-year-old sports journalist covering the golden era of the NBA, when he befriended Shaq and hung out with Michael Jordan and the Bulls-all while surviving the high school caste system, dealing with crushes, and friendships being tainted by jealousy. REVIEW Amar Shah joins his...

KIN: ROOTED IN HOPE written by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Jeffery Boston Weatherford Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2023 ISBN: 978-1-6659-1362-1 Source: publisher for review Ages 12 and up Middle grade memoir All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover, illustrations, & audio provided by the author. ABOUT THE BOOK A powerful portrait of a Black family tree shaped by enslavement and freedom, rendered in searing poems by acclaimed author Carole Boston Weatherford and stunning art by her son Jeffery Boston Weatherford. I call their names: Abram Alice Amey Arianna Antiqua I call their names: Isaac Jake James Jenny Jim Every last one, property of the Lloyds, the state’s preeminent enslavers. Every last one, with a mind of their own and a story that ain’t yet been told. Till now. Carole and Jeffery Boston Weatherford’s ancestors are among the founders of Maryland. Their family history there extends more than three hundred years, but as with the genealogical sea...

UNSINKABLE From Russian Orphan to Paralympic Swimming World Champion by Jessica Long with Hannah Long HMH Books for Young Readers, 2018 ISBN: 9781328707253 Source: purchased Ages 10 and up Middle grade memoir/autobiography All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Born in Siberia with fibular hemimelia, Jessica Long was adopted from a Russian orphanage at thirteen months old and has since become the second most decorated U.S. Paralympic athlete of all time. Now, Jessica shares all the moments in her life—big and small, heartbreaking and uplifting—that led to her domination in the Paralympic swimming world. This photographic memoir, filled with photographs, sidebars, quotes, and more, will thrill her fans and inspire those who are hearing her story for the first time. REVIEW I really enjoyed this memoir by Jessica Long, Paralympic Swimming Champion.  The numerous photographs, beautiful book design, and casual text make it a great fit for...

HOW I RESIST Activism and Hope for a New Generation Edited by Maureen Johnson Wednesday Books, 2018 ISBN: 978-1-250-16836-8 Source: public library Ages 14 and up All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK An all-star collection of essays about activism and hope, edited by bestselling YA author Maureen Johnson. Now, more than ever, young people are motivated to make a difference in a world they're bound to inherit. They're ready to stand up and be heard - but with much to shout about, where they do they begin? What can I do? How can I help? How I Resist is the response, and a way to start the conversation. To show readers that they are not helpless, and that anyone can be the change. A collection of essays, songs, illustrations, and interviews about activism and hope, How I Resist features an all-star group of contributors, including, John Paul Brammer, Libba Bray, Lauren Duca, Modern Family's Jesse Tyler Ferguson and his husband...

HOW DARE THE SUN RISE Memoirs of a War Child by Sandra Uwiringiyimana, Abigail Pesta Katherine Tegen Books, 2017 ISBN: 9780062470164 Source: public library e-book collection Ages 14 and up All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK This profoundly moving memoir is the remarkable and inspiring true story of Sandra Uwiringyimana, a girl from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who tells the tale of how she survived a massacre, immigrated to America, and overcame her trauma through art and activism. Sandra was just ten years old when she found herself with a gun pointed at her head. She had watched as rebels gunned down her mother and six-year-old sister in a refugee camp. Remarkably, the rebel didn’t pull the trigger, and Sandra escaped. Thus began a new life for her and her surviving family members. With no home and no money, they struggled to stay alive. Eventually, through a United Nations refugee program, they moved to America, only to fa...

UNFILTERED: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me by Lily Collins Harper, 2017 ISBN: 978-0-06-247301-1 Source: public library Ages 14 and up All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK In this groundbreaking debut essay collection, featuring never-before-seen photos, actress Lily Collins—star of Mortal Instruments and the upcoming Rules Don’t Apply —is opening a poignant, honest conversation about the things young women struggle with: body image, self-confidence, relationships, family, dating, and so much more. For the first time ever, Lily shares her life and her own deepest secrets, underlining that every single one of us experiences pain and heartbreak. We all understand what it’s like to live in the light and in the dark. For Lily, it’s about making it through to the other side, where you love what you see in the mirror and where you embrace yourself just as you are. She's learned that all it takes is one person standing up and saying something...

REAL FRIENDS by Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham First Second, 2017 ISBN: 978-1-62672-416-7 Source: purchased Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK When best friends are not forever . . . Shannon and Adrienne have been best friends ever since they were little. But one day, Adrienne starts hanging out with Jen, the most popular girl in class and the leader of a circle of friends called The Group. Everyone in The Group wants to be Jen's #1, and some girls would do anything to stay on top . . . even if it means bullying others. Now every day is like a roller coaster for Shannon. Will she and Adrienne stay friends? Can she stand up for herself? And is she in The Group—or out? Newbery Honor author Shannon Hale and New York Times bestselling illustrator LeUyen Pham join forces in this graphic memoir about how hard it is to find your real friends—and why it's worth the journey. REVIEW Shannon Hale is one of my favorite authors....

Most of the books I read these days are children's books.  Occasionally I read an adult history book or memoir and that is what I am highlighting today. Before the Last All Clear by Ray Evans Book Guild Publishing, 2006. Grades 5 and up Reviewed from copy sent by the author. Blurb: During World War II, around three and a half million British children were evacuated away from possible air raids in the big cities in one of the largest social upheavals Great Britain has ever seen. One of those children was Ray Evans. This is the story of a young evacuee from Liverpool sent to live in the Welsh town of Llanelli. Separated from his mother, brothers and sisters, six-year old Ray was dispatched to a series of families who ignored, exploited and brutalised him. Pushed from pillar to post, he finally finds happiness with a family who make him so welcome that he is reluctant to leave when war ends. Set in a world of ration books, air-raid sirens and ever-present danger, th...